Alchemists' Guild
The Alchemists' Guild is an ancient organization based in the city of King's Landing, claiming magical and arcane knowledge. If they ever did possess such powers, their knowledge and abilities have waned over the centuries, and they have been largely eclipsed by the order of maesters, who focus on scientific knowledge and disdain belief in magic. The Alchemists have also drastically dwindled in number during the decline of their order, and unlike the maesters who have at least one representative at every major castle or town, it is uncommon to encounter the Alchemists outside of one of the major cities of the Seven Kingdoms. The Guild is based in the Guildhall beneath Rhaenys' Hill in King's Landing. By the time of Robert's Rebellion, their main remaining skill was their ability to produce potent chemicals capable of causing fires. They are the only people in the Seven Kingdoms who know how to create and handle the exceptionally dangerous concoction known as wildfire, which members of the Guild refer to as "the substance." Because of their ability to produce the volatile flammable substance, alchemists are also known as pyromancers.HBO Viewer's Guide, Season 2 appendices, Beyond the Houses - Alchemists' Guild entry The guild entered into a brief resurgence during the reign of the fire-obsessed last king of House Targaryen, Aerys the Mad King, but they have become much more obscure under the reign of King Robert Baratheon. Members of the Alchemist's Guild are known colloquially as pyromancers. A fully-ranked member is called a "wisdom". Newly-inducted recruits are called "apprentices" and mid-ranking members are called "acolytes". Ranks * Wisdom: Who oversee the preparation of the Substance and ensure its purity. Adept at the alchemical mysteries. One of the Wisdoms acts as the head of the order. * Acolyte: Tasked with preparing the Substance employing "magic". * Apprentice: Tasked with transporting and storing the Substance. Known Members * Wisdom {Rossart}, made Hand of the King by Aerys II Targaryen. * Wisdom Hallyne, the current head of the Guild. In the books In A Song of Ice and Fire, the Alchemists' Guild of King's Landing is an old and honored institution which exerted significant power and influence under the Targaryens, reaching the zenith of their power during the reign of the Mad King, with the head of the Guild, Lord Rossart, even serving as Hand of the King during the final days of Robert's Rebellion. Aerys' penchant for burning people alive saw him make much use of the alchemists' skills, but King Robert had little use for them and they faded away in terms of power and influence after Aerys' death. The alchemists also used to boast that they had abilities even the maesters of the Citadel did not have, such as the ability to transmute metals. However, they have not demonstrated this ability in living memory and many of their claims are today regarded as fanciful. See also * The Alchemists' Guild at A Wiki of Ice and Fire (spoilers from the books). References Category:Institutes Category:Magic